THE GIRL WHO LEFT HOME

Christine’s on the precipice of stardom. She’s getting her big break in musical theater after a year of auditioning in L.A. But then the phone call comes: Her father has passed away, and it’s time to go home to Maryland. Awaiting her there is a grieving mother and a doting tito. There’s also some unfinished business with old friends that will take chance encounters, quick thinking and plenty of vodka shots to resolve. And when it happens, there will be pounding hearts and spirited song and dance.

 Because it’s a musical! There is Broadway glitz, but also the joy of sprinkling song over everyday Filipino American life: living rooms full of massage chairs, family portraits and pandesal. There’s also karaoke, a Bruno Mars-inspired number and the perfectly-timed harmony that tells you everything will be OK. In this post-CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND Filipino American musical, daughters and best friends wear their emotions and culture proudly, singing with ambition and beaming with talent. — Brian Hu

Program includes exclusive Q&A with director Mallorie Ortega. 

Director Biography: Mallorie Ortega is a director, writer, and producer, best known for directing rom-com musical short film Mango Sticky Rice. In 2016, Mallorie was accepted into the Television Academy Foundation Directing Program, where she shadowed directors from Jimmy Kimmel Live, NCIS, Grey’s Anatomy, and Hairspray Live. Mallorie was a finalist of the Viacom’s Directing Program in 2016 and as well as a finalist for the ABC Directing Fellowship in 2018. She is currently slated to direct a feature film for Viola Davis’ Production company, JuVee Productions.

Co-presented by: Undiscovered, Bindlestiff Studio, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation

THIS FILM IS AVAILABLE ON CAAMFEST ON-DEMAND, BUT LIMITED TO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS.